Vinales: Cal Crutchlow and I have same ideas, feeling

Maverick Vinales, winner of Sunday's Qatar Grand Prix, said he was pleasantly surprised to discover that new factory Yamaha test rider Cal Crutchlow has a similar riding style and bike set-up to his own.

That means the Englishman's feedback and ideas are especially relevant for Vinales, who can also focus more on the race weekends.

"Cal worked very hard with the bike, and especially the way Cal rides is very similar to me and helps me to understand many things. He gave us some advice which was good for the race," Vinales said.

"We ride very similar, honestly," he added. "I was quite surprised because in the last day of the [Qatar] test I tried his bike and it fits fantastic for me. So it’s helped me stay concentrated on racing and not on trying the new things.

"This is a totally different mentality from last year when sometimes we needed to test many things. I wish everything worked, but normally nothing works when you try during the race weekend!

"Now we are more calm because we know when Cal will say 'this is good', it’s really good.

"Cal understands very well the potential of the bike and he understands very well where we need to go. I can’t wait to have another test with Cal and work along him to try to improve.

"We have the same ideas, same kind of feeling on the bike, and this is fantastic.

"For sure in the next days Cal will have another test and we will work especially with the power delivery of the bike."

Vinales, who charged from sixth to first last Sunday, will be seeking to complete a perfect Qatar double in this weekend's second round.